Alabama Quarterback Inks NIL Deal with Automotive Company

Alabama football's backup quarterback landed a new car in his latest NIL deal.

April 9, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson (15) throws during practice in the Hank Crisp Indoor Practice Facility at the University of Alabama. / Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News / USA

NIL continues to be a major factor in the college sports world. From collectives, brand deals, and much more, it's taken over college athletics.

To compete with some of the top schools in the country, programs will now need to have things set up for players to earn what they're looking to make. Collectives are one thing, but with brands looking to partner with elite programs, it gives kids an even bigger reason to attend that university.

Alabama football has enjoyed success in the NIL era. It'll be intriguing to see how they perform without Nick Saban at the helm, but for a program with this much history, expectations are still high.

Part of the reason they've found success is because they have NIL funds that can compete with some of the top in college football. Brands also want to partner with their players because they know at some point, there's a good chance that they'll be big college stars or even NFL players.

That was the case once again for Ty Simpson, the Crimson Tides backup quarterback. Simpson was once a five-star recruit out of high school and is expected to have a big role on the team when Jalen Milroe leaves.

According to Pete Nakos of On3, Simpson inked a deal with Harbin Automotive. Simpson will do meet and greets and post on social media as part of the deal. Most importantly, the young man will receive a new Ford or Chevrolet truck every few months in exchange for the work he does for the company.

Nakos added that his first car will be a 2024 Chevy Silverado.

“As fourth-generation business owners, character and integrity have been the building blocks of our 85-year-old family business,” said Win Harbin, owner of Harbin Automotive.

“When NIL partnerships became an opportunity, those two things were non-negotiable for us. Ty embodies these qualities and more and we are excited to partner with him for the upcoming season and years to come.”

NIL has taken a different approach from this due to collectives, but when it was announced that players could be compensated on their name, image, and likeness, these were the deals that many envisioned.

It still gives Alabama and schools that companies want to work with an advantage, but it's much different than just handing over a check.

Simpson has deals with Amazon Prime, and promoted EA College Football 25, among other things, according to Nakos.